Critic Reviews

In its own way this sensual, granular experience is just as pure and obsessive as Rivette’s less hospitable masterpieces, and almost as mysterious.

It is a four-hour movie, but not one second too long, in which the process of art and the process of life come into a fascinating conflict.

It's an Olympian achievement - warm, full, worldly, ravishing and above all generous. [08 Nov 1991, p.40]

What it is is a masterpiece - a movie that will be remembered and discussed well into the next century. [24 Jan 1992, p.C2]

Unusually demanding and exceptionally rewarding, it ranks with the most memorable offerings of recent years. [23 Oct 1991, p.14]

Rather than asking, "What is Art?" this film poses the less common question, "How is Art?" For those who find this question fascinating, this movie offers a thorough and rewarding reply. [29 May 1992, p.19]

There’s a casual dexterity to the movie’s craftsmanship; its aesthetics strike with a simplicity that belies its complexities as a work of art. Long takes, slow zooms, and deep focus give La Belle Noiseuse a sense of disciplined stillness, all the better to record the meticulous efforts of its two chief subjects as they make art out of life.

La Belle Noiseuse is an incredibly beautiful, roomy sort of film whose views of art reflect the tradition of what might be called academic romanticism.

Rivette takes four fully necessary hours (with intermission) to explore this work in progress - inviting us to witness its evolution and the private, uniquely privileged relationship between an artist and his subject. [10 Jul 1992, p.23]

Very long but compelling arthouse study of very French relationships.